Pre-Owned Breitling Chronomat Jet Team America Tour MB01109PBD48153

Why We Love It

Breitling has long been purveyor of chronographs to pilots, and the original Breitling Chronomat models of 1942 were built from the ground up to be no-nonsense instruments for use in the cockpit.

The watch that you're looking at here is a contemporary Chronomat model that is equally no-nonsense - the Chronomat Jet Team America Tour!

With its 44mm 'blacksteel' case and matching rubber strap, this watch is well balanced and proportioned for its size. Featuring a luminous black dial with matching handset, an orange inner tachymetre scale on the rehaut and yellow accents on the chronograph hands and rotating timing bezel, this watch packs a a big punch in both the function and the looks department.

This piece remains in fantastic, virtually NOS (New Old Stock) condition throughout and is a great opportunity to take a contemporary Breitling for a spin at a great price!

The Breitling Story

Breitling was founded in 1892, and while still around today, the company is no longer in the hands of the Breitling family.

The late 1970s was a turbulent time for the Swiss watch industry, and many storied houses were swept away by the Quartz Crisis. By 1978, Breitling was in trouble due to the illness of its leader, Willy Breitling, and the steep decline in sales that had cut through the entire industry. Unable to keep operations going, the Breitling company was liquidated, and parts, toolings and naming rights were sold off. One of the best aviation watch companies was no more, but they left behind a large range of incredible watches.

Breitling has been surprisingly slow to catch fire with vintage collectors, especially since the history of the brand and their ties to aviation are unimpeachable. Sure, many of their watches have polarizing designs and complicated dial aesthetics (hell, we don't know how to use the slide rule feature on the Navitimer 806 any better than you do), but their cleaner designs embody the best of 1960s and 1970s chronograph design and shouldn’t be overlooked.

If we had our druthers, Breitling would be one of the top dogs in the world of vintage watches, and given a strong new direction for the company today, we’re confident that in time, they will be.